It’s been a minute since Anglophiles heard anything about it The OutrunFilm based on the best-selling memoir of the same name by Amy Liptrot, but the Oscar-bait movie is finally set to get its first release date as part of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. The project was initially announced in January 2022 as awards season was gearing up for its first individual year. German screenwriter/director Nora Fingscheidt (Unforgivable) was attached to helm the project and co-write the adapted screenplay with Liptrot. Saoirse Ronan A fictional version of Liptrot was announced to be attached to star and will executive produce with plans to film in the summer.
The film basically disappeared after that, with only the production studio optioning it and a note about who was usurping the rights to distribute internationally. So the title’s sudden appearance on the Sundance list at the end of 2023 was a little surprising, though not unwelcome. Moreover, as a film primed for awards from the top, debuting at Sundance is a tried-and-true method of building momentum, even if it’s not the current favorite way for production studios to make the biggest bang for their buck. (That would be the one-two punch of the Venice Film Festival, followed by the Toronto Film Festival, and then dropping the film in American theaters before Thanksgiving.)
But considering the subject matter, addiction, homecoming and the struggle to reach rock bottom, a longer lead would probably do. The Outrun Well, the long run favors most.
